- James could not save the Lakers from slumping to a 44-point loss in Philadelphia
- He had only ever been beaten by 42 points in his two decades as an NBA player
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LeBron James was handed the heaviest defeat of his NBA career as Joel Embiid inspired the Philadelphia 76ers to a 138-94 win over the LA Lakers on Monday night.
It proved a mixed evening in Philadelphia for LeBron, who scored 18 points while setting the all-time league record for minutes played.
The 38-year-old surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s previous record when he crossed the 66,298-minute mark at Wells Fargo Center, etching his name even further into basketball folklore.
However, by the end of the night he was left with a slightly more unwelcome record.
LeBron and the Lakers were beaten by 44 points in Philadelphia, which goes down as the most lopsided defeat of his legendary 20-year career.
LeBron James was handed the biggest loss of his NBA career in a 138-94 defeat for the Lakers
It proved a mixed evening in Philadelphia for LeBron, who scored 18 points against the Sixers while setting the all-time league record for minutes played
But he was unable to prevent Joel Embiid and Co from winning by 44 points on the night
Up until Monday’s thrashing against the Sixers, his heaviest loss came back in 2019 when Los Angeles went down 42 points in a 136-94 pasting against the Indiana Pacers.
Joel Embiid was the man behind James’ biggest ever NBA defeat as he recorded the sixth triple-double of his career with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists to help Philadelphia to victory.
On a night when Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts watched on from courtside, Tyrese Maxey also scored 31 points and shot 5-for-12 from 3-point distance, helping the Sixers shoot 22-for-46 as a team, which was one make short of the franchise record.
Marcus Morris Sr. went 4-for-5 on 3s and scored 16 points off the bench for the 76ers, who had lost two of three. Patrick Beverley, who came in 3 for 22 from 3-point distance this season, shot 4 for 8 from beyond the arc and scored 12 points.
Embiid’s anticipated showdown with James never really materialized. The latter scored 18 points in 29 minutes but nothing he did could make a dent in the 76ers’ lead.
Embiid sat out the entire fourth quarter and the Sixer still outscored the Lakers 40-14. They also opened the game three-point happy and hit 13, a season high for a half, on 26 shots that let them stretch the lead to 25.
The loss goes down as the heaviest of his career, surpassing the previous record of 42 points
In toppling LeBron and Co, Philadelphia won their second straight after a two-game losing streak and could also have Kelly Oubre Jr. back soon.
Oubre averaged 16.3 points in eight games before he was injured in an alleged hit-and-run incident. He participated in shootaround and may join the 76ers on their upcoming two-game road trip.
James will aim to bounce back from his record defeat in back-to-back road games on Wednesday at Detroit and Thursday at Oklahoma City.
